By Andrew Ragas Topwaters and surface baits, longtime bass fishing staples at night, are popular for smallmouths. They are hard to beat when surface activity is prevalent, the lakes are heating up from the sunlight above, and insect hatches take place. When either of these conditions are in play, topwaters often get eaten quickly, and generate vicious strikes. Summer’s swelter is notorious for delivering the most difficult fishing of the season. Bites are typically less aggressive and fish are driven deep during daytime, becoming even more difficult to locate. Dog days, hot weather, warm water temperatures, heavy pleasure boat traffic and passive bites become common excuses for a poor day of fishing. Oppositely for me, these conditions deliver the best trophy smallmouth fishing of the year. During the dog days of summer on many north country lakes, big smallmouth bass become creatures of the night. When nighttime calls, and most anglers are asleep, the fish go nocturnal and feed. It’s the middle of summer. The daytime surface temperatures on my favorite natural lakes and flowages is hot. Water temperature is at its seasonal peak, sometimes warmer than bath water